Recipe of the Week: Tagliarini With Artichokes and Prawns

This is a really tasty pasta and surprisingly easy to make once you have prepared your artichokes. The trick is to make the artichokes very juicy so the pasta absorbs their flavour. Always use uncooked prawns as they will give you a much sweeter flavour and also a better texture. When you buy your artichokes look for a firm head this will mean that there will be very little choke.It's almost like buying flowers the tighter the head the fresher they are.

Remove the tough outer leaves of the artichokes and peel the stem so that there are no tough bits. Cut off the top of the artichoke and scoop out the tough choke and cut the artichoke in half. Lay flat on a board and slice lengthways so you have very thin pieces of artichoke.
Place 1tblsp of olive oil in a hot sauce pan and soften the garlic then add the artichokes a cup of water and a squeeze of lemon. Add some seasoning then place a lid on top and cook for 5 mins or until soft. Leave to one side.

In a hot non stick frying pan add the remaining olive oil and the prawns. Cook for 2 minutes then add the artichokes and any liquid left from cooking them some chopped parsley and check the seasoning.

In a pot of salted boiling water cook the pasta for 2 mins then remove with some tongs and add to the prawns and artichokes in the frying pan. Add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water and a good drizzle of olive oil. Toss together so the juice from the artichokes and prawns gets absorbed with the Tagliarini and check the seasoning. Serve with a chilled glass of Chardonnay. Have a great week!